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Revision as of 01:55, 30 December 2008

For more information on The Price Is Right in other countries, see The Price Is Right.
The Price Is Right
File:Priceold.jpg
The Price Is Right (UK) Logo (1984 - 1988)
Created byBob Stewart
StarringLeslie Crowther
(1984 - 1988)
Bob Warman
(1989: The New Price Is Right)
Bruce Forsyth
(1995 - 2001: Bruce's Price Is Right)
Joe Pasquale
(2006 - 2007)
Country of origin United Kingdom
Production
ProducersCentral Television
(1984 - 1988)
Talbot Telegame
(1989)
Grundy/Yorkshire TV
(1995 - 2001)
talkbackTHAMES
(2006 - 2007)
Running time60mins (inc. adverts)
(1984 - 1988)
30mins (inc. adverts)
(1989 - 2007)
Original release
NetworkITV
(24 March, 1984 - 7 April, 1988)
Sky One
(1989)
ITV
(1995 - 2007)
Release1984 –
2007
Related
The Price Is Right (US version)

The Price Is Right in the UK has been hosted by Leslie Crowther, Bob Warman, Bruce Forsyth, and Joe Pasquale. It ran from 1984 to 2007.

Crowther era (The Price Is Right)

The Leslie Crowther version is popular with fans of the show for its near-campiness, glamour, and endearing presenting skills of its host, not for its cheaper prizes (which were forced on it by the Independent Broadcasting Authority's prize limits). Its format was nearly identical to that of CBS's daytime show in the United States. It initially used the Big Wheel to decide who would go through to the Showcase, but the IBA forced Central to abandon this because of the lack of skill involved. In fact, the show had to go off air for a while during its first season on the IBA's instructions (the regulator was also unhappy that prize values had exceeded its limits), so that the format could be adapted to fit into a much more tightly-regulated UK broadcasting environment.

After this ruling was made, the show replaced the Big Wheel rounds with a game called "Supermarket", in which each of the three people would select up to four of six presented grocery products; the one whose total was closest to £20, above or below, advanced to the Showcase Final.

Series two saw the Big Wheel return for a spin-off to see who would have the option of bidding or passing on the first showcase; each contestant had to take two spins. If a person scored 100, £400 would be donated to charity on their behalf, and Leslie would ask the person a consumer-related question to win £100 for him/herself. The winner was the contestant who came closer to 100 in either direction.

The Crowther version later used a game called "the Showcase Questions", where all six on-stage contestants played a series of estimated-guess questions and the person farthest away from the actual prize was eliminated. This was done until the last two contestants were left, and they then advanced to the Showcase Final.

The showcase was played largely the same way as on the American version. In the first season, the winner wouldn't win the largest prize in their showcase if their winning guess was not within 10% of the showcase total.

Pricing Games

(All links below will direct to U.S. description of games)

Announcers

Models

  • Marie Elise (1984-85)
  • Jacqueline Bucknell (1984-86)
  • Julia Roberts (1984-86)
  • Denise Kelly (1984-88)
  • Sandra Easby (1985)
  • Cindy Day (1986-88)
  • Carol Greenwood (1986-88)
  • Gillian de Terville (1986-88)
  • Elsa O'Toole (1986)
  • Judy Bailey (1986-88)

Warman era (The New Price Is Right)

The second version hosted by Bob Warman is considered to be a precursor to the third version hosted by Bruce Forsyth, as it was half hour, and had the showcase range game. Having premiered shortly after Leslie Crowther's version went off the air, it retained many elements from the set and props, but was a lot more "Americanized". The show was hence called "The New Price is Right" and had a red, yellow, and green pound sign. The Warman version also had slightly better and more expensive prizes than the Crowther version; this was due to the program's shorter length, in-show sponsorship, and lighter regulation of satellite television channels. The show also had a light border in the opening, mimicking the American version, used US music (including the opening theme) and had more colour on the set. The Showcase round was played considerably differently: after three games and a single Showcase Showdown at the Big Wheel (in which spinning 100 earned a bonus spin worth a bonus prize), the Showdown winner selected a range at random from £250 to £1000; if the bid was within the selected range of the price of the presented showcase without going over, they won the showcase. This version was rarely-seen (Sky TV having only just started, and having very few subscribers at the time); even so, its format and its version of the Showcase have since carried over to many other European versions of the show, including Bruce's Price Is Right.

Pricing Games

(All links below will direct to US description of games)

Announcers

  • Bobby Bragg (1989)
  • Al Sherwin (1989)

Models

  • Suzie Marlowe (1989)
  • Tracie Williams (1989)
  • Katrina Maltby (1989)
  • Julie Broster (1989)
  • Peitra Caston (1989)


Forsyth era (Bruce's Price Is Right)

When it started in the mid-1990s, Bruce's Price Is Right is one of the first shows to fully take advantage of the Independent Television Commission's lifting of the prize limits and the general deregulation of the UK broadcasting environment. The Showcase Showdown was played on the Big Wheel (objections to lack of skill no longer being a factor), with the highest-scoring contestant on one spin or a combination of two spins going through to the Showcase, and any contestant who scored 100 on one spin or a combination of two spins would win £1,000. The ranges for the Showcase in this version went from £1,000 to £5,000. Although it was only in a half-hour format with three pricing games per show (the Crowther show had been an hour long with six games) it still gave away more valuable prizes each week than the previous ITV version had done (for example, it was possible for a contestant to win two cars, one in a pricing game and one in the showcase, which would have been utterly unthinkable on British TV in the 1980s). Cars offered were usually superminis, from makers like Daihatsu and Daewoo, or models like a Ford Ka or Mazda Demio, but small sports cars like a Hyundai Accent or Vauxhall Tigra were offered on occasion.

On the Forsyth version, the game Plinko was played to very different rules from the US version; considerably less money could be won, and contestants could risk their cash winnings on one final Plinko chip in hopes of adding a car or other large prize to their winnings (the cash spaces on the board were replaced with alternating "WIN" and "LOSE" tags).

Many European versions of the show that debuted after the Forsyth version based their games and sound cues on that show. The main theme, an update of the US theme, and the "come on down" music are from the short-lived 1994 US syndicated version.

Bruce would start some of these shows also with his trademark line of "Nice to see you, to see you...NICE!" (where the audience yells the word "nice" at the end).

Pricing Games

Introduced Series 1 (1995)

  • Cliffhanger ("Cliff Hangers" in the US; contestants were told that the prices increased as the game progressed)
  • Clock Game (rules modified after Series 1 so that all prizes ended in either '0' or '5')
  • Danger Price (contestant could not win the prize that cost the danger price)
  • Double Price Tags ("Double Prices" in the US)
  • Hole in One (played with four small prizes instead of six grocery products)
  • Master Key
  • Money Game
  • Most Expensive (contestant only won the most expensive prize)
  • 1 Right Price (regularly played for two cars, though the contestant could only choose one)
  • Pathfinder
  • Pick-a-Pair (played with the prizes themselves instead of with grocery products)
  • Plinko
  • Race Game (played with a 30-second timer)
  • Secret "X" (except on earliest playings, contestants had three chances to win the two additional Xs)
  • Swap ("Switch?" in the US; contestant could only win one prize)
  • Switcheroo

Introduced Series 2 (1996)

Introduced Series 3 (1997)

  • Credit Card (contestant won the three prizes they picked, rules modified later on so that they also kept the remaining money on the card)
  • Most Expensive (replaced original "Most Expensive" from Series 1; now a renamed version of "Eazy az 1 2 3")
  • Split Decision (used the game's timed format)
  • 3 Strikes ('one strike in the bag' rule implemented from Series 5 onward)

Introduced Series 4 (1998)

  • Any Number
  • Bruce's Bargain Bar ("Barker's Bargain Bar" in the US, contestant only won one of the prizes)
  • Hi Lo
  • Price Tags (known in the US as "Barker's Marker$" from 1994-2007 on the daytime version, and as "Make Your Mark" in the 1994 syndicated version and from 2008-present on the daytime version)

Introduced Series 5 (1999)

Introduced Series 6 (2000)

Introduced Series 7 (2001)

  • No new games were introduced.

Announcers

Models

  • Kimberley Cowell (1995-2001)
  • Emma Noble (1995-97)
  • Emma Steadman (1995-2001)
  • Brian Tattersall (1995-97)
  • Simon Peat (1998-2001)
  • Lea Kristensen (1998-2001)

Catchphrases

  • "Here we go. It's TV's/Britain's biggest/brightest game show, Bruce's Price Is Right." - Peter Dickson
  • "It's nice to see you, to see you, nice!" - Bruce Forsyth/Audience
  • "Lets meet the stars of our show, whoever you are..." - Bruce Forsyth
  • "{Contestant's name}, come on down!" - Peter Dickson
  • "You are the first four contestants on Bruce's Price Is Right!" - Peter Dickson
  • "One of you has won a Brucie Bonus!" - Bruce Forsyth
  • "That's a grand, in your hand." - Bruce Forsyth
  • "Here's a hundred pounds for being right on the nose!"
  • "Who's going to win this..." - Bruce Forsyth
  • "How would you like to win this/these..." - Bruce Forsyth
  • "It's bidding time." - Bruce Forsyth
  • "The actual retail price we were looking for is..." - Bruce Forsyth
  • "There's a space left in Contestants Row, Peter who's it gonna be..." - Bruce Forsyth
  • "Plin-ko, Plin-ko, Plin-ko!" - Audience
  • "Flash the cash!" - Bruce Forsyth
  • "You are in tonight's Showcase!" - Bruce Forsyth
  • "Push down on your plunger." - Bruce Forsyth
  • "This is your Showcase..." - Bruce Forsyth
  • "All this could be yours, if The Price Is Right." - Peter Dickson
  • "What is the price of tonight's Showcase..." - Bruce Forsyth
  • "Remember, no matter what happens, Bruce's Price is always Right, Goodnight!" - Bruce Forsyth

Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon (The Price Is Right)

On September 17, 2005, as part of a celebration of the 50th birthday of the UK broadcast network of commercial regionalised broadcasters commonly known as ITV, Ant & Dec hosted a one-off revival of The Price Is Right as part of Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon; they also hosted revivals of several other game shows that were once popular on the ITV network.

Announcers

Pasquale era (The Price Is Right)

talkbackTHAMES debuted a revival on ITV on 8 May 2006, this time with "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" winner Joe Pasquale as host. It followed the same gameplay format as Bob Warman and Bruce Forsyth's versions, with Showcase ranges going from £500 to £3000, and the Showcase Showdown adapted the rules from the Warman version, with a car at stake. It had a very "panto" feel to it, and it relies on nostalgia of the Crowther version, which was known for its cheap prizes because of the regulations of the time. Joe's tour manager, Ray Tizzard, made appearances as his "twin" in various pricing games.

The show expanded to an hour from 3 July 2006. This involves three games being played, a Showcase Showdown, three more games, another Showcase Showdown, and then the winners from both showdowns take part in the 'Pasquale Finale', a spin-off on the wheel to see who will go through to the Showcase. This also brought back the £1000 reward for spinning 100 in one or two spins; the player then spins for the car. In addition, the maximum range in the Showcase increased to £4000, as the budget increased.

After the first three games and Showcase Showdown, Contestants' Row was cleared of people, and a new set of four contestants is called down.

In all versions of the programme, a perfect bid in Contestants' Row resulted in a £100 bonus in either cash or, in the Warman version, gift certificates.

Pricing Games

Announcers

  • Peter Dickson (2006-2007)
  • Mike Hurley (2006-2007) (occasional cover for Peter Dickson)

Models

Catchphrases

  • "It's Britain's brightest game show... it's The Price Is Right!" - Peter Dickson/Mike Hurley
  • "You are the first four contestants that are going to play The Price Is Right!" - Peter Dickson/Mike Hurley
  • "There'd be no show without Joe... Joe Pasquale!" - Peter Dickson/Mike Hurley
  • "{Contestant's name}, come on down!" - Peter Dickson/Mike Hurley

Cancellation

ITV chiefs cancelled The Price Is Right at the end of its latest run.

While The Paul O'Grady Show on Channel 4 regularly attracts over 2.5 million viewers, Pasquale has only managed to pull in 800,000. [1]

Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon (The Price Is Right)

After the success of Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon in 2005, ITV brought the show back, this time hosted by Vernon Kay, a contestant in the first series. Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon began on 7 April 2007 with The Price Is Right.

Contestants

The winner of the show was Graeme Le Saux, who as a result advances to the quarter-final of the show. The five remaining contestants return in the next week's show, Blockbusters, to battle for the second spot in the quarter-final round.

Announcers

Transmissions

Series Start date End date Episodes
1 24 March 1984 16 June 1984 13
2 29 December 1984 ?? 25
3 18 January 1986 ?? 22
4 27 December 1986 ?? 23
5 4 December 1987 7 April 1988 17
6 ?? ?? ??
7 4 September 1995 11 December 1995 15
8 2 September 1996 27 December 1996 18
9 29 August 1997 9 January 1998 17
10 4 September 1998 15 January 1999 17
11 10 September 1999 17 December 1999 11
12 24 July 2000 16 December 2000 23
13 23 June 2001 16 December 2001 14
14 8 May 2006 25 August 2006 74
15 23 October 2006 ?? ??
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